Hello
everyone, we are back from our trip!
As
some of you might know, this wasn't a mere holiday escapade. In fact,
our Asian adventure was a postponed honeymoon which G and I have been
planning and anticipating for a long time!
It
was absolutely perfect.
I
am no travel writer, so to summarize the whole experience I'll summon
the assistance of a
travel article from The Observer1:
"It's
cocktail hour at Helga's Folly, and the moths are circling the
candelabras. The dusk frog chorus filters through the open French
windows, competing with the warblings of Edith Piaf from the
gramophone. I settle back on the sofa, sip a coconut arak, open the
guest book and read an entry from an Australian couple who had
checked out the day before: 'This is a place of enchantment.'
For
me, the spell was cast long before I checked into this eccentric
hotel perched high above the old Sri Lankan capital of Kandy. It
started minutes after I stepped out of Colombo airport into a wall of
damp, sweet air and witnessed an elephant strolling sedately along
the high street amid the rush-hour traffic."
On
a more professional note, this trip couldn't have been more eye
opening. We had the good fortune to be in the right place at the
right time (twice!), witnessing two traditional Sri Lankan weddings!
Deep inside the Royal Botanical Gardens of Kandy the couples embarked
on traditional Buddhist ceremonies, which normally last for two days.
On the first day the main colour is white, which stands for purity
and spirituality. This is followed by a homecoming ceremony during
which the bride, now a married woman, is expected to wear red. The
flowers, the patterns, the jewellery, the colours and the aromas... I
was fascinated by whole ritual, and with the passing of the days my
curiosity about Sri Lankan culture grew even more.
G
and I ventured to visit to the Dambulla cave temples, a place that
would take Indiana Jones' breath away! Dambulla's intricate hand
painted patterns and images are spread over the walls and ceilings of
5 impressive caves. The sparse light imbued the underground passages
with a dim blur, making the stone look irresistibility smooth.
Walking through those caves while breathing that moist subterranean
silence was one of the most soothing feelings I have ever
experienced!
We
continued our travel by heading up to Sigirya to see the mysterious
hand painted damsels. Who they are and what secret messages they
carry nobody can reveal, but one thing is for sure: they'll never
cease to amaze art lovers like us. But our trip was not just about
romance and adventure: there was also time to burn some serious elbow
grease while helping at a 'batik' factory! What an assault on the
senses!
Now,
back at home, it is time to pour all these experiences into a special
headpiece for a very special friend.... but I'll tell you more about
that next time.
xoxo
1An
eccentric Eden teeming with life and colour. This article appeared
on p10 of the Observer Escape section of the Observer on Sunday 14
November 2004.
